Xarmor U9BL in Australia

[iCol]

I've been reading this site for a while now and I've become totally obsessed with keyboards!

There is amazing information to be had here, and quite frankly you guys have cracked me up at times :-)

So after much reading researching I decided to buy an iOne U9BL board.

I live in Australia and I ordered the U9BL from Amazon. I had a bit of trouble with my initial order. First off after entering the shipping address I got a message telling me that the item could not be shipped to the specified address. I contacted the vendor directly and was told to try Amazon again. They were happy to deal directly with me if I still had issues with Amazon. They were also prepared to accept PayPal.

These guys were also prepared to deal directly with me:

  http://www.Fentek-Ind.com

but postage was a killer at over $100US!!

My Amazon order succeeded when I tried again the next day. Total cost including postage was $190AUS and the item arrived 6 days after ordering.

For me the only problem ordering from overseas is that if the item is faulty and has to be returned (and based on everything else I buy there is a high likelihood of this) you're up for a second lot of shipping. Definitely a risk.

So if you live in Aus and you want this keyboard, it's definitely possible to get one.

Give me a couple of days to settle in with the board and I'll post a mini review here. First impressions are that the board is OK - but nothing that will blow you away.

[Laggy-gaga]

I have been searching for this keyboard as well
turn out  no one can offer postage less than AUD60

[iCol]

G'day Ripster!

Mate we have seven of the 10 most deadliest snakes in the world, the deadliest spiders, the deadliest sea creatures... But that's not all that can kill you here :-)

Plus I reckon we have the most expensive hardware prices in the world. Especially keyboards... :-(

[iCol]

Hi Laggy-gaga,

Yeah the postage is a killer, but the board is pretty cheap. It worked out the same as buying a Filco or Das here. Plus our dollar is as good as it gets against the US.

Before you order the U9BL though I should point out that after having bought one, I think I regret not getting the Filco Tenkeyless. The quality of the U9BL leaves a bit to be desired. Especially the back lighting - which it the only reason you'd choose this over anything else.

Even so  - the Blue Cherry switches are just LOVELY to type on :-)

I'll write a review in the next couple of days.

[arial]

Good to hear some aussie is here

Still deciding which mech keyboard I should get...

Shipping is killing me ~_~

[iCol]

Welcome to Geekhack arial!

There are a few Aussies here I think :-)

It's hard to decide, but the information available on this site really helps. If you don't want back-lighting, the decision is pretty easy I think. You can try both the Filco and DAS boards at AusPCMarket. They have a couple in their showroom that you can play with. They have both blue and brown switches in stock, and also the Filco Tenkeless models. Filco are very popular boards here and once you see one you'll know why.

If you want back lighting there are only 3 boards - the Deck, the Black Widow, and the U9BL. The Deck boards don't have popular switches, and the Black Widow will start selling here for a lot more than you can buy the U9BL for on Amazon.

The U9BL has blue switches of course and they are REALLY fun to type on. I don't find the noise all that loud and they are OK for gaming too.

Have fun choosing :-)

[Senor_Cartmenez]

Might be better places to ask this but has there been any feedback on the rubberized keys of the u9bl?

That's about the only concern left about that board, otherwise it should be a killer. Maybe someone with particularly sweaty fingers and particularly acid heavy sweat.... Any experiences?

[arial]

Wanna wait for the black widow but seems to be a long wait

[Cheese101]

well , $190 for a keyboard that is only 'ok' is hardly worth recommending to other aussies
i say wait for the black widow to hit the shelves , shipping on these mechanicals is a killer

i've picked up 2 working model m's in the past year from junk yards (all keys , no dirt etc) , if i find another i will post it up here and an aussie can have it for free + price of shipping.
We can't have people spending $200 on mediocre keyboards can we.

[Cheese101]

http://www.auspcmarket.com.au

here's an aussie based seller of mechanicals , they do look very pricey to me though

[Laggy-gaga]

For Filco
you can purchase one for SG website
http://www.gameshop.com.sg/default.php?cPath=55_85&sort=2a&page=1
It is cheaper than elitekeyboard

I have been hunting for a cheaper way to post keyboard to OZ
It comes up shipping from Taiwan might be a good method
but the problem is, u need to find a agent.

BTW, next time I want to clear up my store, I might post an ad to GH
I sold one brand new Filco tenkeysless for only 70AUD~~
juz 1 bidder~~

[iCol]

AusPCMarket that Cheese101 mentioned is where you can check the boards out. I'd recommend you do that if you live in Sydney.

Personally if I were buying another board I would buy from them without hesitation. They give great service, and if the board is a dud they will get it sorted out for you. You don't have that comeback with an international seller.

I should also clarify that when I say the board is "OK" I'm pretty fussy about these things. I think the U9BL is a lot better than many of the keyboards I used over the last 15 years or so. I'm sure most people would be very happy with this board.

I would like to see a board of the same quality feel as a Filco, with backlighting, but this board isn't it. I wouldn't expect the Black Widow to be any better than the U9BL in terms of quality, and the U9BL has other advantages over the Black Widow such as NKRO, no horrible piano black surrounds, and a nicer key cap font. And a much nicer price tag! BW RRP will be $230! You'll buy it for less, but not for a little while I think.

[iCol]

Oh yeah - the rubberized keys...

The keys do not feel rubberized. They feel like normal plastic key caps. They are not smooth but have a very slight texture to them. If rubber has been used on these then they must have been coated with something else as well.

The only rubber on the board is on the case surround, and on the wrist guard, which didn't even make it's way out of the box :-)

The keys feel pretty good. Not as scalloped as a DAS, not flat, about the same as a Filco would be my guess.

The board is pretty nice to type on.

[iCol]

Hey that's interesting! Thanks for pointing that out.

When I tried the Das and Filco boards side by side the Das felt better to me. If they have the same switches and the same keys then they should have felt the same. Maybe my fingers are going senile :-)

Have they always been made from the same molds?

Even though the Das felt slightly better (I thought) I still preferred the Filco overall. That piano black case looks beautiful - until you touch it. So probably not the best choice of material for a keyboard...

[arial]

For Filco
you can purchase one for SG website
http://www.gameshop.com.sg/default.php?cPath=55_85&sort=2a&page=1
It is cheaper than elitekeyboard

I have been hunting for a cheaper way to post keyboard to OZ
It comes up shipping from Taiwan might be a good method
but the problem is, u need to find a agent.

BTW, next time I want to clear up my store, I might post an ad to GH
I sold one brand new Filco tenkeysless for only 70AUD~~
juz 1 bidder~~

70.... @_@

http://www.auspcmarket.com.au

here's an aussie based seller of mechanicals , they do look very pricey to me though

they are really really pricey.

[Laggy-gaga]

Well
2008, I bought 7G from US at $109
at 2 months ago I bought one for my friend at AUD190
Unfortunatelly I live in WA
so the domesticpostage will still kill me for heavy item.

BTW, DAS S and DASIII are using the same piano case.

[Cheese101]

so AUD hits parity with USD and aussies are still gettin ripped off lol
just wait for blackwidow if you don't want to be ripped off with the shipping

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Interesting enough

Link: http://www.ione.com.tw
Price: $150-$170
Switch Type: MX Blue (Brown version upcoming)
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Dye sublimation, overlaid with a rubber coating with the letter laser engraved from it
Key Shape:
Interface: PS/2 and USB
Rollover: NKRO
Layout: US ANSI
Extra Features: Individual LED backlight for each key, USB hub, pass-through 3.5mm audio/mic jacks, media keys, detachable wrist rest
Drawbacks: Some concerns about keycap durability
Other:

http://www.overclock.net/keyboards/491752-mechanical-keyboard-guide.html


So besides Topre, seems like this is the only other keyboard i've seen that is Dye sublimated keys (besides the Deck of course).



Rippy, add this keycap type to the wiki :X

[iCol]

OK so...

U9BL = $190
Black Widow = $229

Looks to me like paying the ridiculous shipping costs is still way cheaper than buying a BlackWidow!

[iCol]

Hey ripster that's a very disturbing photo!

Wait - there are tram tacks in the picture. That means it was most likely taken in Adelaide or Melbourne.

Phew - thanks goodness Sydney is not responsible for that insight into our "culture" :-)

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

OK so...

U9BL = $190
Black Widow = $229

Looks to me like paying the ridiculous shipping costs is still way cheaper than buying a BlackWidow!

Also U9BL is NKRO, and the BW isn't :X

[Laggy-gaga]

It is the first time I know U9BL using Dye sublimated keys

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Yeh but they had a complicated method of doing it.

Something about adding rubber, then lasering through it :/ kinda weird.

The casing is made of ABS plastic.

The keycaps are also made of clear ABS, and have been dye sublimated around the legends. The key is then coated with two thin layers of rubber, and the legend is then laser engraved through the rubber, and then a final UV coat is applied to the top. This is one of the most complicated keycap manufacturing methods I’ve heard of, and I’m a little worried about the longevity of the rubber coating. I would have preferred to see double shot molding, which lasts decades without fading. Rubber could peel or wear through, and although the key is dye sublimated so it won’t turn into an illuminated blob I’m sure the end result after years of use wouldn’t be pretty. Still, this is a much better manufacturing method than the keys for most backlit keyboards, which simply paint around the legend, meaning that when the paint wears off you can no longer make out the letter, it’s just a blob of light. So this is above average, but I wonder how much more it would have cost to just use double shot keys.

http://hardwareaware.com/review/xarmor-u9bl/


Maybe Rippy should add this to the wiki ?